Famille et L'amour
by unanymousdeen
Summary: After tieing the knot and claiming their land on Rannoch, John Shepard and Tali'Zorah think about family. Family drabbles. Tali/Shepard.
1. Chapter 1

**To give you all a background on this fiction, this takes place about six years after the ending of Mass Effect 3 (because we all hate every single consummation except for Destroy where we find out Shepard miracluously lives) and without the mass relays that the Repears created, how is it possible to travel through different nebulas? Let's sprinkle on a bit of Star Wars and say that the species spread across the galaxies discovered how to travel through outer space via Hyperspace. **

**Shepard and Tali married two years after the discovery of the commander's body buried under the perished Big Bently of good ol' London. It's been four years since and the Normandy finally made its way to Rannoch, where quarians have already colonized in the more mideastern areas of the planet. Only Tali and Shepard live on the beachs (which is really only an hour from the mainland) where their companions (Jack, Garrus, etc.) soon come to join them as neighbors later on.**

**All these drabbles will be family correlated, and pretty random. I hope you all like them, though!**

* * *

_Connections_

The sun reflected off her skin and revealed a tan and lightly purple pigmented tone that gleamed n the light. Her eyes fluttered open, white orbitals shining as she stole her second breath of the fresh air of Rannoch. Tali never felt so at home.

"It's very beautiful, isn't it" She said, her eyes turning to observe the beach waters and vast brown canyons. Colored rocks and trees enhanced the mountains, and the sea shone of sapphire.

"Just like the poems." Shepard smiled, crossing his palms behind his back. He could stand here forever and simply admire the scenery which he would build his and Tali's house upon. They would have a glorious view to wake up to every morning.

"I can't wait to see what it'll look like from our house. How long do you think It will take?" Tali asked, turning to Shepard.

The elder smiled. "Less than a year. Six months maybe."

Tali turning back. "I can wait. It'll all be worth it." She grinned, her pearl white teeth showing.

Shepard held his posture and took Tali's hand into his own. The quarian looked over to him curiously, the smiled again. She curled her fingers around his tighter and moved closer to him.

"It's going to be great, living with you here. The things we could accomplish…"

Tali regarded at him, an eyebrow raised. "What would we accomplish?"

Shepard shrugged. "I'm not sure, but we'll see where life will take us."

"I hope it's something special."

"Yeah. Who knows, maybe I'll discover a new element or material and name it after you."

Tali chuckled, leaning closer. "Really?"

Shepard didn't say anything; he only smiled wider. "There's a lot of things I want to do with you – take you to dinner, travel the world, start a family maybe."

Tali tensed and turning her glance towards him once more. "John, that's a huge commitment. And I don't know if I'm ready for something like that." She looked down, slightly ashamed.

"Hey," the commander bumped her shoulder "I'm not pressing you towards it. We don't have to start a family if you aren't ready."

"No, it's not that." She said. "I just…I'm afraid of the risks that come with having children."

"Quarian-human children?"

"Yes. There aren't many records of interrelated species births among quarians. The infection risk is too high. The only way we've ever reproduced was through in-vitro fertilization, and then the egg is implanted through the mother."

Shepard nodded.

"Do you remember when I got sick before my suit adapted to you? If we had gone any closer that time, the damage would have been more."

"Damage?"

"Well, to an expecting quarian, she would miscarry from direct contact with another quarian."

"I see."

"But, there are plenty of supplements I can take so that the risk of miscarriage is fairly low."

"So, you're saying that we might have the first cross-species child in hundreds of years?"

"Maybe a cute one." Tali smiled warmly.

There was a short silence between the two before one spoke up.

"Again, we don't have to." Shepard interrupted. "It was just an idea."

"Already noted."

The pair sighed simultaneously, staring out into the open once more Now that he had brought it up, Tali was all-to curious about what life would be like raising a hybrid child. There were millions of factors that came to such a topic: genetics played a huge part. Anything he or she would inherit could affect their lifestyle. Poor immune function was the worst of genetics that could possibly be passed down. If their child was born requiring a bubble or suit, Tali would never honestly forgive herself.

And what of doctors? The only medical technician she could trust was Mordin, but he died several years ago at that facility.

If she continued to take medication that built antibodies for just about any disease, the baby could be born dependent on the treatments and would only fight diseases through them, rendering him vulnerable. And if she didn't take the supplements, she'd have to wear her suit 24/7 during the pregnancy and hope that the fabric of her ensemble would accommodate her expanding figure.

"Do you maybe want to consider adoption?" Shepard asked, pulling Tali into to him and wrapping an arm around her hip.

Tali thought about it for a short second, but shook her head. "No. I would honestly prefer having children that we produced. He would represent our love, and that we care enough for each other to create a new life of our own."

"_He_?" Shepard smirked.

Tali chortled. "Only because saying 'he or she' takes too much time. I honestly wouldn't mind having either a boy or a girl."

"What do you think they will look like?"

Tali pursed her lips. "I'm…not sure. I'll let your chromosomes and mine decide on that."

Shepard laughed and held his wife closer. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry this is really late. School is finally out for a week and I can breathe.**

**As a reminder, I will be taking commissions from March 8-17. All the requested pieces will be posted after the commission date is over. Thanks again!**

**The chapters are pretty random - one minute, the little munchkin will be four and then the next chapter, Tali might not even be preggers yet. It's all just a matter of what inspires me ;)**

* * *

_Caught in the Fire_

[Three weeks]

He remembers all-too well the first day Tali sprinted out of bed to relieve herself of morning sickness.

John Shepard was rather thankful that Tali had unintentionally aroused him from his sleep. He still had nightmares – nightmares of the Reaper War which came to a dead halt six years ago. He wondered if they were ever going to go away.

Tali bolted up from her lounged position and practically jumped out of the bed. Shepard's eyes darted open and his head flew to the direction of his wife, who was already half-way beyond the bedroom.

Highly concerned as to what was going on, the commander rushed to follow her to her destination: the bathroom.

Tali slumped over the toilet, holding the rims of the bowl with her fingers as her stomach twisted and throat burned. That last time she had vomited was back as a child, about five years old and sick with the stomach flu that she had caught from a human who cut a hole in her bubble by accident. For a full month, her little body felt like it was boiling and her stomach and throat always ached. In conclusion, having to relive that wasn't pleasant. Tali assumed she had probably gathered the illness again until she realized she wasn't extremely warm or sensitive.

John was right behind her, rubbing the woman's back affectionately and offering reassurance.

When the awful spell was over, Tali ran a hand through her dark black hair, sighing.

"Are you sick? Do you need any medication?" Shepard asked.

Tali didn't respond immediately. She leaned back into the wall and closed her eyes, massaging circles into her temple. A headache was already making its presence. "I…have no idea what that was all about."

"Should I take you to a doctor?"

"I don't know. Maybe? I feel fine now, though, except for this headache." She kneaded her thumb onto the spot where it hurt the most.

"Here, I'll go get you something that'll quell the nausea. I bet you're still feeling it." Shepard stood and fast-walked towards the kitchen.

Sitting upon the granite countertop was a boiler, though it took less than a minute for the machine to boil water for tea. Tali loved tea; she drank it nearly every day. Even her husband joined in. He found green tea more wakening than coffee.

Pouring a cup of water into the container and flipping the switch, he moved towards the cabinet where all of Tali's tea was conveniently placed. Her favorite, caufratomate tea with honey, was tossed into a white mug and then filled with the steaming water.

He added a slice of ginger into the mix. One of the things his mother taught him as a child was that spice helped relieve "tummy aches". John was surprised it even grew on Rannoch, although desolate and expensive.

Walking back into the restroom, Tali was still positioned on the ground, holding her head in her hand.

"Try this. It'll make you feel better." John said, offering the cup to his wife.

Tali blinked up at him and carefully took the mug, inspecting its contents. She inhaled the tea's scent, instantly noticing its zesty smell. "What did you put in this?"

"A little ginger. It should help make you feel less nauseas."

"Thank you." She gave a small smile and sipped her drink. It had little of a bitter taste.

"Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat."

Tali stood up slowly. "Sure. Now that my stomach's empty."

Shepard grinned and took her hand. The two walked into the kitchen, Tali taking a seat and John moving over to the stove.

He pulled out the meat of ham from the fridge, as well as cheese and bread from the cabinet. A traditional quarian meal, light yet nourishing.

As he cooked, Tali induced a conversation.

"So, how's work been lately?"

"Uneventful, I suppose. Two novices tripped some of the connection wires and started a fire."

Tali giggled. "How'd they manage to do that?"

He shook his head. "I have no idea, honestly."

"Well, what else can you expect?"

Shepard considered. "Yeah, true."

"Hey, did Garrus tell you he "found his special someone" yet?" Tali mentioned, leaning into her arms.

"No, he didn't. That bastard finally got together with someone?"

The quarian chuckled. "Looks like it."

"I wonder if he'll take her out to tango." Shepard smirked.

"Tango? Garrus can dance?"

"Oh yeah. He's not so bad."

"Coming from you, that's hard to believe."

Shepard turned around and gave Tali a look. "Hey, now, I'm not that bad!"

"_That_ bad."

"You're mocking me."

"I do not deny."

The commander frowned and turned back around towards the stove. Tali was grinning madly from across the table.

"Admit it, John, you can't dance."

"I think I can."

"I can gather witnesses in my defense. I bet even Garrus will take my side."

"Why are we discussing my dancing capabilities anyway?"

"I figured it would be a…interesting topic."

John grumbled something that Tali couldn't understand. "What was that?"

"Oh, nothing."

"You're lying."

"Am not."

"Are to!"

"Am not."

Tali groaned, dropping her head in her hand. "Well, at least I didn't tell my best friends they should kiss."

Shepard froze. "What? How did you find out about that?" He asked incredibly.

"Kasumi."

"I'm going to murder that woman."

"You suggested Jack and Miranda should kiss?"

"Can we drop this?"

"No, no, seriously. Why did you—"

"Tali, drop it."

"Fine. I'll ask Jack then."

The commander ignored that statement and proceeded to slice the cooked ham into thin strips and place them on two plates. He added the cheese, lettuce, tomato and butter, then took his place next to his wife. "Eat up."

* * *

**I apologize that this is a bit short, but more are coming. I've got stacks of chapters, but I just have to finish them.**

**Till next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is a short chapter, my apologies, but it's dedicated to flavored-band-aids!**

**You guys are awesome! Thanks for sticking with this little tidbit :)**

* * *

_Watch Her Go_

"Look at you! Faster than the Normandy could ever fly."

The toddler smiled over at her aunt and spread her arms out wide. She ran in little forward circles on the beach sand, cheering into the air and occasionally tripping over. Kasumi would always be there to pick her up, though, cooing at the little girl each time.

"Try not to get sand everywhere. Your mother won't be too happy with me."

Rana giggled and babbled something that sound like a mixture of toast, vegens, and cars. She was only fourteen-months old, after all. The Talking Stage.

"Come on, I know somewhere we can go that's really fun." Kasumi said, taking Rana's hand and carefully leading her towards the shore. It was summer, though in the evening so the water was still warm. Rana took after her father when it came to blood and body temperature - warm as a dog. She wouldn't feel cold either way.

"The water is fun to play in." The Japanese woman kneeled down to her niece's level. "Just don't go too far, or the waves will catch you." She teased, tickling Rana at her sides and around her neck. The toddler squealed and then made a run towards the water once she broke free. The look Kasumi received was 'daring' her to follow. Threatening glares courtesy of Tali - that woman had the potential to be very frightening when she was dead serious. But a one-year-old? Too cute.

Kasumi watched as Rana bent down to touch and feel the water around her. She was absolutely fascinated by its texture and the feel of salty liquid on her skin. The waves had no potential of drowing the girl, so the theif saw no purpose in an emergency excretion. She joined her niece down by the shores, sitting with her legs crossed straight, left over right.

The sun was setting behind the mountains at the time. Its tangerine rays were slowly diminishing behind the mountains until the sky darkened to a hazy blackish-blue. For a while she recollected moments of her life (while stealing glances at Rana to make sure she was still near and alive), and briefly thought about Keiji. Kasumi figured she would've gotten over the deceased man by now, but something still kept her thoughts of the man close and intertwined. She wondered what life would've been like if he was still here. Maybe not so different. They shared the same career after all, but stealing alone never had the same ring or thrill to it as much as it did eight years ago.

Kasumi even considered if she would've married and started a family with Keiji, like Tali and John. Those two had a love so strong, not even the galaxy could break the thread that held them together. Kasumi wanted someone like that - someone who, no matter what, was always with her.

She held onto hope that someday, Keiji just might come back like Shepard did - out of the rubble and 'alive'. But something like that could never happen. Kasumi only wished she knew where he was buried.

Something warm touched her shoulder, and the theif blinked back into focus. On her right, Rana was leaning on her arm, toying with a small seashell she found. Her eyes were half-lidded and bottom lipped puckered out the slightest. She was obviously tired. Running around the beach for an hour was exhausting for both girls. Kasumi was just as tired. Having to chase behind and tell Rana what you can and cannot eat was tiring work. She didn't know how Tali did it. The teething stage would've been painful.

"Someone's ready for their nap, I can see." Kasumi turned and pulled Rana up onto her hip, brushing off the sand from her own legs and backside before attending to the child and treading back towards home.

Before their destination was reached, Rana was out on the woman's shoudler. Kasumi smiled, brushing back the brown locks of hair that dripped over the girl's tiny lips and closed eyes. She looked exacty like her mother - skin tone, hair texture, face and size. Rana was a mama's girl, though. She was built more like her father - more human - but inside, all Tali. She was awfully cute.


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright, I suppose I did not make myself clear the first time:**

**This story is by not any means going in any order.**** A few of you did not seem to catch that, but fear not.**

**Literally everything I write is based on what inspires me at any given moment. My second cousin is two, and she makes me want to write almost every time I see her, which explains the last chapter. I write based off my own experiences, too. **

**This one...well, you gotta love Jack and Tali moments.**

**Rana might be fifteen in the next chapter. Who knows, really. Im a spontaneous writer, but that doesn't stop me from posting everything here. At least I'm writing for you all. I do it out of pure enjoyement, honestly. Plus, I suck awfully at writing multi-chapter stories that flow. Each time I try, and have all these one-shots waiting to be put in, and by then, I've already lost interest in the thing. It happens. But with this, I can just post the one-shots whenever. They can be considered drabbles, I guess?**

**Anyways, sorry for the rant. Just...had to get it out there. I hope I didn't offend anyone. I love you all! **

**I appreciate your understanding, guys. Thank you :)**

* * *

_Concerns_

Tali looked away from her keyboard for what felt like the three-hundredth time today. She couldn't bring herself to think about work and dig sites for more than thirty minutes because of the fact that she was away from her baby for the first time since the child was born. It was nerve-wracking for her, and not because Jack was babysitting, but because Tali didn't know what was going on every moment of the day.

And even if John was watching the baby, Tali would've still been equally nervous. Who wouldn't? Although, she did feel a bit guilty for not trusting her husband…or really anyone. Who knows why she picked Jack to babysit in the first place. Maybe it was because she was the godmother.

Tali shook her head and reached for her cell phone. She quickly dialed her female friend's phone number.

"Don't worry, Tali, she's fine."

Of course Jack would say that the second she answered. Of freaking course.

"Are you sure? How has she been? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, calm down. Rana's fine. Just a little grumbly is all."

"Grumbly? What does that mean?"

"I don't know…moody?"

"But –"

"Don't worry, I have everything under control." Jack practically smirked on the other end before she hung up.

Tali huffed and set the phone aside, staring at the annoying computer screen once more. She really wanted to be home right now.

Her best plan of action right now would be to finish up her work. Tali was still much a part of the research on Haestrom as she was devoted to her daughter at home. Although, she figured by now, the quarians would've discovered the "dark energy" that was being released. They had somewhat, but only to lessen its affects and slow the progression of the planet's dying star, rather than reverse it.

She was done about a half-hour later, quickly packing her belongings and moving towards the car parked outside the research lab. She wasn't on Haestrom today—only the lab on Rannoch.

Jack was surprised to see the quarian home so early. Her eyebrows skyrocketed upon hearing the front door open.

"What are you doing here? I thought you weren't going to be back for another three hours?" The biotic asked, standing.

"Yes, well…" Tali sighed. "I just had to come home. I guess I can't stay away for too long." She tossed her things onto the couch and moved towards Rana's room.

"She fell asleep, by the way. And you're going to have to work regular hours eventually. I'm not paying your income." Jack followed. "Am I done for the day?"

"If you want to stay, that's fine." Tali whispered and peered over into the crib. The baby was asleep, and perfectly fine. _I can trust Jack._

"Who's cooking dinner? I'm really fucking hungry right now."

Tali turned and glared at the woman behind her. "Do you mind?"

Jack raised her arms in defense. "What? I didn't do anything."

The quarian stood straight, heading for the door. "I think I should work from home…at least, for now. What do you think?" She asked.

"Stay-at-home mom? It's worth a shot."

"So, how was everything today? Was she good? Did you feed her? Did Rana cry? Did-?"

"Yes. Yes. Yes. No. And stop it. I already told you, everything was fine. Just dandy!" Jack leaned on the counter.

Tali sighed. "Okay, okay. Um, did anyone call? Anyone possibly drop off my artifacts today?"

Jack smirked. "Miranda called."

Silence.

"And I know how much you don't like her."

"Hey," Tali defended. "She did force me out on a shopping spree when I was pregnant. Sure, we bonded, but I still resent her for making me walk so much. It wasn't like my ankles were swollen of anything." She grumbled, searching the fridge for something to drink.

"I remember you telling me that. At least she bought you a bunch of baby stuff and shit."

"Yeah, I guess so. Did I ever tell you Shepard wanted _her_ to be the godmother?"

Jack faked a gasp. "He didn't!"

"He did!"

"That bastard!" The biotic pounded her fist along the granite. "We should kill him."

Tali laughed, shaking her head. "Yeah, I don't think so."

Jack leaned back. "It was worth a shot."


	5. Chapter 5

**This ****story is actually based off one of the situations I witnessed with my relatives. After I reflected back on it today, I thought, "Hey, why not make it a part of this?"**

**As for those who have requested comissions, I'm still working on them. I apologize for the long wait. They just have to be perfect. Have to.**

**Thanks to all of you who read and/or reviewed. I really appreciate it. You all keep me running and writing!**

**Happy Easter!**

* * *

_Decisions_

_(Tali: Eight months preggers)_

Shepard tried to get the whole crew together for a movie night at their place. Most of his friends from back in the good old' days of the Reapers where still in the nebula, like Joker and Garrus. Those two actually agreed to come, and he was pretty excited about it.

Tali had tried inviting some of her friends, but Kasumi wouldn't answer her phone (she's probably stealing something from the president of some foreign country or planet), Jack was field-tripping with her students, and Liara was god knows where—probably on vacation, thus not answering her phone either. Miranda was busy, too, traveling to planets and saving people's asses. The usual.

Both Garrus and Joker showed up, so it wasn't a complete downer. Joker still had a tendency to ridicule Shepard about his planning skills stating that "it's not even your gloomy attitude this time that's drawing our friends away" and earning a playful shove to the shoulder from his friend. Garrus brought the brandy, and Tali could only roll her eyes and remind herself to retrieve the extra mattress from the storage room. She wished she could join in on their silly antics, but that wasn't an option.

"Oh, hell no!" Joker cried, swatting Shepard's arm and stealing the remote. "We are _not_ watching that. I've seen it three times already and it sucked. Bad."

"Alright, well, what _do_ you want to watch?" John grumbled, crossing his arms and resting his foot over his knee.

"We'll find something. I can always ask EDI."

"No, we're not doing that. Remember the last time you asked her what we should watch?" Garrus leaned forward.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad." Joker defended. "I thought it was a good movie."

"I threw up afterwards."

"You did not, liar."

"Will both of you shut up?" Shepard cut in, snatching the remote back from Joker. "Why don't we let Tali pick the movie?"

The quarian lifted her head from the kitchen. She stopped mixing together her apple juice, mango ice cream and strawberry smoothie. "What?"

"You wanna pick what to watch?" John asked. "Because these two idiots can't make up their minds."

Both Garrus and Joker sent Shepard a glare. The turian considered dumping his brandy down John's shirt.

Tali smiled. "Sure. Why not?" She set down her cup, walking over to the couch where her husband and friends sat. John handed her the remote, and Tali took it gently, leaning against the wall behind her for support.

Joker and Garrus continued arguing over whom had the best taste in movies and Shepard sat between them, a very unsatisfied look painting his features. Tali smiled before distracting herself by fiddling with the fabric of her shirt.

"What about this one?" She asked, pointing towards the screen. The boys (literally, at this moment) stopped their bickering and turned towards the screen.

"_Avengers in Disguise_? It's on demand?"

"Looks like it." Tali said.

Garrus nodded. "Turn it on. Why not?"

Tali pressed the button, launching the production onto the screen. She tossed the remote back at Shepard, who caught it easily, and went back to fix herself a smoothie. She loved them, and had her husband to thank for it. She showed her how to make them, and how he used to drink them all the time as a kid—before his parents died, at least. The fruits they had stowed away in their fridge are specially decontaminated, just for Tali because Shepard can afford it.

Tali sat down by the side of the coffee table, giving herself a clear view of the TV.

"Are you comfortable down there?" Shepard asked, leaning over. "You can have my seat, if you want."

"No, no," Tali shook her head. "I'm really comfortable down here, actually."

John nodded, sloping back. "If you need anything, let me know."

The movie proceeded; Joker and Garrus were calm meaning Shepard could finally relax. The film was an action/adventure sort of genre, with a kick of mystery and suspense. There was a lot of suspense, actually. Joker could feel his stomach tighten when the main character walked into a facility full of geth mechs, pretty accurately designed. Garrus stopped drinking his brandy at the part where one of the detectives had a hole drilled into his side and intestines went everywhere. It was just that one scene, too. Shepard felt himself lean closer to the screen when every action part came on. Shooting against war ships and fighting geth and a newly discovered race than was twice more powerful than a krogan. These aliens appeared rather deceitful—they looked like a human-salarian mix, the two most innocent races out there. But, they sort of looked like protheans, too. They were ridiculously powerful, and very smart.

After one of the many commercials tuned in, Garrus, Shepard, and Joker would talk about the movie. Tali would resume to her drink, though decided to check the computer for any new updates on the Haestrom projects. She scooted over to her laptop nearby opening it up and surfing her mailbox. The bulge of her belly made the sitting position she was in rather uncomfortable, but she wouldn't be on for too long.

"I thought it was so cool when that one arinian came up behind Jason and _bam_! Shot from 100 meters! That was cool."

"I think I almost threw up at that one part with the detective and—"

"You feel like throwing up at one point in every movie you see." Shepard remarked, smirking over at his friend.

"_That_ kind of stuff I don't usually see on the battle field. This guy walked through the damn hallway and was practically sliced in two."

"You're such a wuss." Joker criticized, throwing a coaster at Garrus. Garrus chucked it back, but the pilot dodged and the bark went straight towards the wall, bouncing off and rolling across the living room.

"If you two break something, I will personally kick your asses out of my house." Shepard scolded, standing up and heading to retrieve the coaster. "And keep the brandy."

"You're so mean." Garrus whined.

Shepard pretended to throw the coaster at the turian (who raised his arms in defense) before setting it back down at the table. Before John could even sit down, Tali cried from the other side of the room.

All three men turned to her, eyes wide and mouths slightly open.

"Tali, what's wrong?" Shepard asked, almost jumping over the coffee table.

"N-nothing. Damn…" Tali pressed her palm up against her side.

"She's swore. That's not a good sign."

John glared towards Garrus. "Would you…? Ugh. Forget it." He turned back to Tali. The woman was still holding her side, about where the hip bone was. She was groaning and leaning in that direction, pressing her fingers up contrary to the spot. "Keelah, that aches…" She murmured.

"What's wrong?" Shepard pressed, tightening his grip on her shoulders.

Tali let out a sigh, leaning back after she deemed the pain was no longer affecting her. "Your son…just kicked me right in the hip. And it _hurt_." She put extra emphasis on the last part.

"I think so. Wasn't hard enough to break anything, obviously, but still."

"Here," John offered Tali a hand to help her stand up. "Sit on the couch. It might be better for you anyways."

Tali clenched her teeth as she stood. Motion at this moment wasn't something she wanted to take part in. Perhaps the couch would do her some good. She sat down carefully, leaning back into the pillows. Shepard had already warmed the spot with his ridiculous body heat.

The commander looked towards Garrus. "Move."

"That's not a very nice way to ask." Garrus crossed his arms.

Shepard frowned. "You _are_ being an ass today, now move."

The turian took that chance to fly over towards the empty armchair by the balcony, taking Shepard's stubborn request as more of an order. He brought the brandy, too.

"You alright, Tali?" Joker asked, wearing an apologetic face.

The quarian nodded. "Yeah. It was just a really strong kick is all." She smiled back at him.

Shepard wrapped an arm around his wife, pulling her close for the duration of the movie. Both Garrus and Joker ended up hammered and crashed on the couch before the film had a chance to end. Who knows why they ended up passing one bottle after another to each other. Why the hell not? This was one of those nights where it didn't matter because it wasn't like anyone was working tomorrow anyway. Shepard didn't have much. He insisted on one bottle and one bottle only, wanting to be sober enough to keep an eye on his wife. Whatever happened earlier was definitely new.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! How are you all?**

**So, I started writing this and I honestly haven't been able to find a good way to end it. I need more inspiration...ahhh.**

**Anyways, I've got this idea. Should I make a soundtrack for this story? Let me know what you think, pros or cons.**

**Sorry the ending is unclear. Forgive me. **

**If any of you have ideas or inspirations and want them to be a part of this story, let me know. I'd be glad to include it since I'm running low on imagination. I need to renew my warranty.**

**Till next time!**

* * *

_Uncle Garry_

"Uncle Garry!" Rana shouted, sprinting over to the turian waiting at the door.

"Hey there, you little rascal. Look how much you're growing!" Garrus chirped, squatting down to pick up the two-year-old girl from the ground. He ruffled her brown head of hair, courtesy of John Shepard. Brunette locks weren't the only characteristic she inherited from her father.

"Mama says one day, I'm going to be thiiiiiiiiis big!" Rana claimed, holding her hand high above her head and grinning strongly.

"As tall as me?"

"Bigger!"

Garrus chuckled, setting the little girl back down and tickling her sides before she could escape his range. She fell over on her rear trying to run away. Having human feet and quarian legs wasn't the greatest crisscross of genetics that could've been passed down – on Earth, humans would think she had some enigmatic form of Genu Varum. Garrus only hoped Rana wouldn't be stumbling for the rest of her days.

"Greetings, Tali." The turian welcomed, standing up. "I can already tell you've had a bundle to take of care of."

Tali smiled and sighed simultaneously. "Beats me. Sometimes, I can't catch up with her."

"Need a babysitter for a while?"

"How long can you stay?"

He snickered, taking the nearest seat in the kitchen to his quarian teammate. Garrus could see the exhaustion in her eyes. "You look like you pulled an all-nighter."

"I can't argue with you on that."

Garrus tilted his head in question. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes…well, no, but yes. I don't know." Tali sighed deeply, fooling around with the outside of her mug.

"What's going on?"

Tali exhaled again, facing down and watching the wood table. "John called today. He's been out for work the past few days – some sort of huge expedition they're conducting outside the…residential districts of Rannoch. Anyways, he called to see how we were doing. The cinematic discussion we had went completely normal, up until one of John's colleagues stopped to say "hi" and looked horrified at the sight of Rana. He asked us if she had Rickets."

Garrus scrunched his expression.

"Does Rana even look like she has Rickets? Not even close! Just because she stumbles and catches her foot in the carpet doesn't mean she's physically disabled." Tali said sourly, fingers curling around the hot mug tightly.

"It's just a matter of co-dominant genes. I don't see it any other way."

"Keelah, she's only two-years-old. She's still learning how to do everything anyways."

"I'm impressed she can even run that fast with those little legs."

Tali's shoulders fell slightly as she laughed, releasing some of the tension upheld earlier.

"Speaking of said hybrid, where is she?" Garrus asked, looking behind and around from where he sat. Tali shot him an undisclosed glare. "I expected someone to route flat against my leg minutes ago."

The quarian stood up from her seat, mug still in her grip. "Rana? Where are you?"

She didn't have the best hearing the galaxy could offer, but her eardrums could pick up the small laugh that came from Shepard's coat closet.

Tali set her beaker down and smirked over at Garrus, who had no idea what was going on. He simply stood there in the middle of the kitchen while his friend crept over to the closet.

"Garrus, have you seen Rana? I can't find her anywhere." She teased, trying to sound as convincing as possible to a child in-cognito.

The turian raised an eyebrow.

Tali rotated around faster than light could travel and threw the doors open. Rana fell back, screaming. Tali snatched her and pulled out the little girl from her hiding spot. "Gotcha!"

Rana squealed and tried to pry free from her mother's friendly grip by kicking her legs. Tali let go only to chase after Rana, who hopped onto the couch. "You can't catch me!"

"I bet I can!" Garrus called, scurrying over into the living room after realizing what was going on.

Rana screeched playfully again and sprang from sofa to sofa before falling over onto the cushion. Garrus flung his arms around her little body and pulled her up. Rana's fist flew square over his eye. The turian winced and scolded his niece (as he liked to think) that hurting others is not nice while horsing around.

"One must be a man of his word." Tali beamed from the other end of the room.

Garrus huffed. "Hey, it was Shepard's idea to actually do damage whenever we sprawl…in a friendly manner."

"You're not a very good influence." She joked.

"Yeah! You're not a good influvent, Uncle Garry!" The two-year-old criticized. Tali laughed.

"Don't get your tongue tied, kiddo." Garrus ruffled her hair.

Across the living room, Tali yawned. Garrus looked over to her, adjusting Rana in his arms so she sat more comfortably. "You should take a nap or something. I'll watch the little one for you."

The quarian blinked sleepily. "That's sounds like a good idea."

"Can I take her to the park?"

"Of course. Just…make sure she stays safe."

"Always." He reassured.

Tali came up to her daughter a left a kiss on Rana's forehead. "You be a good girl for Uncle Garrus, alright?"

The toddler giggled and patted her mother's cranium. Tali chuckled. "Okay, mama."

They parted ways and Garrus let his niece hop down onto the floor and run over to the front door. "The park! The park! Hurry Uncle Garry! I wanna go to the park!" She was cheering along the way, bouncing up and down and tripping over her tiny toes. "I wanna go on the big swing!"

"Slow down, you're going to tire me out." He chortled, helping Rana into her jacket since it was a bit chilly outside. She didn't require a suit or anything, how unbelievably lucky. Tali once said she envied her daughter sometimes. Quarians were still adapting to the environment and continued to use their suits outside their homes for safety purposes just in case there is a possibility of getting sick. Seeing a quarian with a mostly-quarian daughter who didn't have her suit had everyone asking "How does she survive without it?" and then Tali would have to explain to everyone that her father is a human and many other details that weren't necessary to explain at this current moment.

Garrus snagged Rana after she tripped on the grass and set her on his shoulders. She pointed to everything around her, telling her uncle that flowers were purple because they were pretty.

"Do you like purple?" She asked, placing her chin on the top of his head.

"I do. It's very pretty."

"My arms and legs are purple."

"I know."

"Why are they purple?"

"That's just how your skin looks."

"Why?"

"Genes."

"What are those?"

Garrus bit his lip. "Um…they're little thingies that make you look and act how you do."

"Ooooooooooh. Is that why mommy is purple and daddy is orange?"

The turian tried to hold back a loud laugh. Shepard…orange…it was almost too funny to picture. "Yes."

"I think Mama's pretty because she's purple. Do you think my Mama's pretty?" Rana asked.

Well. This wasn't exactly the type of question he was expecting. He wasn't going to lie, though, but he felt it wasn't his place to say anything. "Yes. She's very pretty. You're pretty, too."

"I'm pretty?"

"Mhmm."

"Uncle Garry?"

Oh dear, more questions. "Yes?"

"What color are you?"

"My skin is many colors. I'm a turian."

"What colors are you?"

"Green, black, blue?"

"I like blue!" Rana squealed.

Garrus smiled. "It's my favorite."

"Me too!"

"I thought your favorite color was purple?"

"It is."

"You can't have more than one favorite color."

"Why?"

"Because."

"…why?"

"Because other colors would get jealous."

"What's _jealous_?"

Garrus sighed. "Hm…when you…" How to make this for a child to understand? "When you don't like someone because they have what you don't."

He could feel his niece scrunch her face in confusion. "I don't get it."

"That's okay. It's…a bit hard to explain."

"Uncle Garry?"

"Yes?"

"What's a hay storm?"

"You mean "Haestrom"?"

"That's what I said. Mama says it a lot, too."

"It's a planet."

"What's a planet?"

"A big rock floating in space."

"How big is it?"

"Very big."

"Bigger than me?"

"Just a little bit."


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N): Becuase not every family is perfect.**

**And Tali isn't drinking any alcohol. But the other two are.**

* * *

_Indiscretions_

[_Seventeen weeks_]

Tali's eyes darted wide open, her jaw dropping slightly as the glass cup fell from her hand and onto the tile floor. It smashed into several pieces, dispersing crystal and liquid everywhere, even onto her clothes.

"He _what_?" She hissed, curling her fingers into a tight fist.

Both Jack and Miranda leaned back, looking towards each other and then to the quarian, equally confused. "You…didn't know?" Miranda inferred.

"No, as a matter of fact, I didn't."

"Well, shiiit." Jack added, rotating to look nervously over her shoulder and then back. "He's in for it."

Tali stepped over the bottom of the breaker glass beaker, shoving between Miranda and Jack, nearly knocking them over and their drinks.

"Now, Tali, I don't think—" Miranda couldn't even finish her sentence the other woman was out the door that fast, and in a fit of rage.

Jack sighed and chewed at her inner cheek, looking to the floor. "Maybe we should pick up all this shit before someone steps on it."

Miranda bit her lip, setting down her drink on a nearby table. "Yeah, good idea."

"And maybe stick around for anything else that might potentially break."

"Another great idea."

Oh, he was going to get it. She was going to knock him so hard upside the head he wouldn't be able to sleep for weeks. There were a lot of things she was going to do to him and one's that mostly involved pain and rehabilitation. She might even kill him. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

"SHEPARD!" She hollered from the top of her lungs, blood boiling in just about every organ in her body. If anything, adrenaline was already making it's way through her systems. Muscles tensed, her arousal levels were higher, and the want for revenge was fueled by anger.

Even his heart started racing at the tone of her voice. That could not possibly be good. Tali was pissed. By all means _infuriated_. He had never ever heard that tone from her before, and it was a bit frightening. His fingers felt ice cold as he popped his head out from the bedroom, seeing his wife storming down the hallway. Now felt like a good time to flee.

"You sure have a _whole_ lot of fucking explaining to do."

"Tali, what's going on?" He asked, peripheral vision finding means of cover.

And then she slapped him. Hard. Right on the cheek. And _fuck_, it burned.

His hand instantly went to comfort the aching buccal. "What the hell was that for?"

"What else have you been doing while I'm not around?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you know. You know very well. Kissing Aria? Hugging Liara all intimately? Going out to restaurants with Ashley? Explain!"

"I didn't kiss Aria! She kissed me! Same with Liara!" He defended.

"You're kissing Liara?"

"What? No! I never said that!"

"You just admitted it to me!"

"I didn't admit anything!"

"Yes, you did!"

"Who the hell told you all this bullshit anyways?"

"Does it even matter? Why are you trying to avoid the topic?"

"I'm not! I just want to know who is telling you I'm cheating!"

"Are you admitting to that, too?"

"For god's sake, Tali, I'm not admitting to anything!"

"You know, if you love someone else, you can just say it to my face rather than make excuses to protect your dignity." She was so upset, her voice toned down to a low, dark pitch. He was so anxious it felt like any minute, his stomach was going to present the floor with the dinner he ate just a half hour ago.

But now, there was a silence. He didn't say anything, almost couldn't say anything. She was accusing him of some brash, made up conspiracy that didn't even exist. And, Tali was angry enough to not believe a single word he said.

His downturned eyebrows rose, revealing an expression that she concluded to be deep hurt. "What could possibly make you think I would be unfaithful? Was it something I did? Something I said? Or is it really just a rumor that you _heard_?"

The sudden change of emotion took her by surprise. Her expression shifted as well, lips pursing together.

"You won't even give me a chance to explain and already you're jumping to conclusions? I didn't think you were like that."

"Well, maybe I have the right to be angry." Tears were already forming in her eyes. The disbelief and guilt of the entire situation was becoming unbearable. "My closest friends, whom I trust to be completely and utterly honest with me, are saying that my husband is going off and treating other women the way he should be treating me?"

He felt incredibly guilty himself, unintentionally giving Tali a reason to believe what she's accusing him of was true. It was, but none of those things were his decision or choice. It wasn't like he wanted any of it. Miranda and Jack have things pegged wrong.

"Tali…" he tried to reach for her, but she swatted him away.

"Is it me? Am I no longer an interest for you? Or is it this?" She pointed towards her abdomen. "Is it _this_ that made you give up on love with me?"

"No, that's not it at all."

"Then_ what_? What is it?" She was crying now.

Shepard sighed, moving towards Tali and enveloping her in his arms as warmly and lovingly as he could. Her tears were spilling into the fabric that was covering his shoulder, seeping through and burning at his skin. She couldn't bring herself to wrap her arms around his waist. She didn't even know if this hug would be their last.

"Tali, Aria kissed me as thanks for helping her win back Omega six years ago. That's simply how she obligates people who help her. And Liara? She hugs me every time I do her a favor, and for an extended period of time. Ashley took me to dinner once to discuss plans for an invasion that we were leading."

"How do I know you're not lying?" Tali whimpered.

He pulled her back, looking her in eyes as closely as he could. He wanted for her to see that it was all the truth. Nothing secret would ever go on behind their backs. He was completely faithful to her, and he would be forever.

"I would never lie to you." The commander claimed.

Tali looked down at her feet, and as soon as she looked back up, Shepard cloaked her in a kiss.

She melted into him, cheeks flushing a pinkish color as she ran her fingers through his brown hair, pulling him closer. Shepard was putting everything he had into their graze, and she felt…desperate, in some way. It was as if they hadn't had this type on contact in years, and Tali was more than eager to return the embrace. She pulled at his locks, bringing him as close as she could because she missed him and he missed her.

Shepard felt guilty for making her feel guilty. He wanted to apologize so badly, to just envelope her and tell her that he's sorry and everything will be okay and that it'll all be smooth from here. That sad part, though, was that he knew that wasn't always true. He knew that at some point, they were going to fight like this again, but over something else. He knew there were going to be more quarrels and more disagreements. They weren't perfect. A lot of people seemed to think they were. But he was always trying his best to avoid an intense argument.

He was pouring his heart out to her at this moment, securing her in his arms. She couldn't be so upset, or so angry. It was a risk for a much larger payment over something they couldn't bear to happen. He had to keep her calm. He didn't mean to fight back.

There were a lot of things he didn't mean to do or say.

Miranda and Jack were camped out in the other room, leaning against a wall and trying their best to stay quiet since the fight seemed to be over and they didn't want to be caught eavesdropping.

"I…can't believe we made them fight." Jack said.

"Yeah…we shouldn't have said anything."

"We could've ruined their relationship, you know." The tattooed woman mentioned, turning towards the other biotic. "Did you even hear what Shepard said? We fucked up. Big time."

"I suppose I'm not as great with handling rumors as I thought I was."

Jack let out a slow sigh, resting her head against the wall she was leaning on. "I'm gonna apologize."

"Good idea. I'll send her an email."

"An email? You're a pussy."

"Well, whatever they're doing right now, I'd rather not interrupt."

"True."

"We should…go." Miranda pointed towards the door.

"Yeah." Jack stood, heading in that direction. "I think I need a cold beer."

"Count me in."

"Maybe I'll get laid, too."

Miranda shook her head, closing the door behind her. "One day, you're going to end up having a kid of your own."

Jack scoffed, opening the door to her vehicle. "Won't happen."

"Do you even use protection?"

"Nope."

* * *

**I think we can all agree Jack isn't the greatest influence here. She really steps it up when she finds out she's going to have a resposibilty in being a godmother. **

**Anyways, sorry this is short and sort of awkward. I'm working on a really important chapter for this story and it's pretty long. I keep going back and rewriting, then erasing and rewriting. It has to be perfect, just for you all. I'm surprised at how many people follow, favorite, read, and review. Thank you guys, really. Even several weeks after I post a chapter, it still get's favorites :)**

**A fellow reader (the name's Nightstride. _Anonymous_ Nightstride.) gave me some pretty awesome ideas. This chapter wasn't one of the ideas, but you'll start seeing them very soon :) It should be cute!**

**Again, thank you for reading! I hope you guys are still enjoying this. Let me know if you want to hear anything in particular!**


	8. Chapter 8

**What's up, guys? Finals are finally over which means more time to write! Yeah! I was playing Mass Effect 3, and at the very end of the Citadel DLC where every meets up around Docking Bay D24 and you and your love hold hands...it gave me the feels. I wanted to cry so hard. **

**The tune of the sountrack that played there made me write this. There's two other chapters currently in construction and they're kinda seriously cool and important.**

**I bet a bunch of you have already figured out what the jist is and are somewhat confused. And if you don't know what I mean by that, you'll find out within the next two chapters ;)**

**This wasn't beta'd by myself or anyone so if there are errors, please excuse them. I tend to run over every single one anyways. **

**I love you all, and thanks for keeping up with this ridiculous story ;D It means a lot to see how many people read it, regardless of how messed up my updating scheduale is. School's out now, though! Hollaaaa.**

* * *

_Dreams_

_She stood there, tall and luminescent with the sun bathing along her skin. He had seen her and been with her through everything. She kept his heart beating, his muscles moving, and his mind sane. Throughout their entire journey, she had always retained that place in his heart, and occupied his thoughts. From the very beginning, when Sovereign and Saren threatened to destroy the world, she stood by his side along with the others. But, there was always something about her that ignited the fuel and forced the impossible possible. They had been through everything—the Collectors, the Reapers. Too much pain and too much loss, yet they had done it. Close friends were left behind, good leaders and soldiers. They fought for them. Each and every one that died protecting their race and all others, following the homeworlds. It was a miracle how all these hard times and pressures seemed to be relieved and a sense of determination and happiness was left to spread. For the duration of his live, he had no regrets._

_She looked over her shoulder, the sounds of footsteps catching her attention. She was so beautiful, too. Mature not only physically, but wholeheartedly. She was a woman of great valor and great surprise. She upheld high honor and marked a true hero throughout her nation. Her bright, white eyes carved their future—a peaceful period of safety and true relaxation, where a family could fit in. Docking bay D24 would forever be a landmark. Both had no idea of whether or not they'd be able to sit down and enjoy each other ever again._

_The tears that weld up in her eyes reminded him of the pain he had left in her heart when he ran—ran towards the light and towards the fate of the galaxy. He had left her behind for a year with no radio contact, no visual, nothing. It hurt her deeply, and he realizes that. But he was better now. Better than ever. Just the thought of returning to her boosted his will and helped him recover even faster. He was stronger than ever. _

_She threw herself into his arms, squeezing him and crying so hard. She didn't bury her face in his shoulder for too long. She looked back, touched his face, felt his skin. "I thought you were dead. I thought you left me again." _

_It hurt to hear those words. It hurt to know he forced her to grieve again over him, and it almost made him angry. He didn't want to have to do that to her…to Tali._

"_I'm safe. You're safe. That's all that matters."_

_She didn't take too long to react, pressing her fingers into the back of his neck and pulling him down for the kiss that they both missed so much. He held her close, tugging at her waist. He'd missed her so much. It had been too long. It had been far too long separated from her and her smile, attitude, personality, and just about every other inch anyone could discover. Their kisses were not desperate but full of so much love and caring and want. _

"_Why didn't you call?" She finally asked, looking at him very closely after they broke apart. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_The communications…were rattled and the hospital had me in a coma for eight months while I healed."_

_A frown formed her perfect features, and she touched his face, running a thumb over the muzzle of a beard he had on his jaw. _

"_I begged them, Tali." He looked her dead in the eye. "I begged them to let me call, let you visit. Tell wouldn't give in. The twelve weeks I sat there in bed and dying to get up and move, I thought about you."_

"_I never stopped thinking of you." She said, both hands grazing his cheeks. "I built you a home."_

_He chuckled, wrapping his other arm around her waist. "That was supposed to be my job."_

_She smiled. "I never knew when you'd come home. Garrus and Liara…they helped me rebuild myself. Helped me recover. You should tell them."_

"_I plan to. And very soon."_

_She smiled again, looking down at where his heart would be, touching the spot with her fingers. "I still can't believe it. You're actually here. With me…again."_

"_You don't know how much I've missed you." He kissed her forehead, running fingers through her hair. It had gotten so much longer. _

"_I love you."_

He felt something shaking him, pushing him out of a reality that warmed his heart and hurt it at the same time. He felt two hands—six fingers—against his chest, a soft voice murmuring in his ear. _John, please…wake up._

His eyes opened, revealing the sight of his wife, eyes wide with concern but bright in the darkness. She moved a hand to touch the side of his face. _That touch_.

"You were crying." She said, leaning closer. "Having a bad dream again?"

He grinned, sitting up into his elbows. "Actually," he turned to her. "I was dreaming about you; the day when I came back to you."

She sat back, smiling. He mimicked her actions, reassuring Tali with his hands that drew lines up and down her arms. His thumbs kneaded into her skin gently. "It always makes me feel so…so…"

"Happy?"

"Yeah." He looked down at her belly, which she had one hand over. He put his palm over hers, and the other on the opposite side. The baby was growing so fast. He was a strong one. His baby boy. _Their_ baby boy.

"He's going to be just like you." She said. "I can already tell."

"After all the complications, I have no doubts he's stubborn enough to keep living."

She chuckled. "We should get back to bed. It's pretty early."

"Right."

* * *

**Yeah, it's a bit short. Good ending, though, aye? Thank again, guys :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Mother of cabbage, it's been so long since I published something. My creativity had literally been switched off for too long. I'm surprised I managed to write something. You can blame school and "The Last of Us". That game is slowly taking over my life. **

**This chapter has a bit of a funky set up. You're going to find out more about how my Commander Shepard turned out after the game and discover a little bit of his history. And then, it'll jump very suddenly to Rana's development, and all the crud Tali had to go through pregnant with her daughter. And then more of Rana growing up! It's weird. I'm sorry. I don't do proper transitions. Especially now. **

**I've reread this more times than I've paid attention in school for the past week. If there are any errors, I'll apologize right here, right now.**

**I had fun writing this is researching like crazy to make everything work out somewhat. I know it's short, but I can't seem to add any more to it. **

* * *

_By Other Means_

Jonathon Shepard wasn't exactly the commander everyone previewed him to be.

He was never perfect to begin with. He had more flaws than anyone could ever imagine. No parents. No immediate relatives other than a deranged sister with paranoid schizophrenia who lived in a mental institution somewhere out in the Terminus systems. He couldn't keep track. She was always being moved. They always stayed connected even when he could tell Cornelia hadn't taken her medication and was suspicious that her nurse might've been a spy.

Besides growing up with a sibling who never had her head straight on the streets, he had that stupid war ripping through his memories. The Reapers, billions of lives gone astray because of his decisions, the crew that he lost to the Collectors, and the fact that all synthetic life had been destroyed because of him. For one thing, the quarians were progressing, but they would've faster had he not demolished the geth race. And was it really his position to annihilate them? He was not their creator. He was not their God. If God wanted to wipe the galaxy of all the human life He created, He had every right to. All the races were His people, like the geth were the people the quarians created in their own image.

He still had his moments—the flashbacks of the battlefield, watching people die by his side, seeing Ashley Williams' smile one last time before she was blown to bits, watching buildings fall on innocent lives as they tried to flee their homes, and witnessing his own teammates dropping to their deaths all because he took too long to wait to destroy the Collectors. The upgrades wore down. They were meant to be used right away, and he didn't take advantage of that opportunity.

He had his moments where he'd scream and shout whenever something managed to trigger his past memories. He didn't want to reflect, not even in his dreams. He pulled at his skin and the hair on his arms, but he was doing better. He had his therapy. It may have been six years, but his symptoms would never go away quickly. Hell, it might even take twenty years before he'd be sane again.

And sometimes, he wondered if maybe it was schizophrenia. His sister had it, and he probably did too. Cornelia's showed up when she ten and he was fourteen. Still out on the streets. She would throw rocks or pieces of pavement at him when he tried to tell her about the police or an authoritative person in general. She would throw tantrums when he talked about leaving for navy training when he turned sixteen, claiming that he was ditching her for the assassins that tried to kill her on their walks.

One time, she bolted up from her blanket-of-a-mattress, waking the other orphans and pointing to the door screaming, "It's four eyes! He's come to get me! He's coming!"

No one wanted to deal with it anymore, and they kicked them out. Cornelia, at that time, was under the assumption that they were spies and only wanted to take them in to surrender them to their bosses for experimentation.

The last time he saw his sister was just before he was promoted to his Spectre position on the Citadel. She had been transferred there for the time being. She smiled when she saw him, embracing her brother after almost ten years. "I missed you." She said. "You stopped messaging me."

"I was on a big mission with a couple of friends. It's only been a few weeks."

"You liar, it's been months." She chuckled. In her mind, time seemed to fly faster when all she'd worry about is how to get out of her nurse's grip.

Now, almost fourteen years later, he received a picture of Cornelia holding a silly photo of a balloon in her hand off her datapad on his fortieth birthday. She was smiling, her long blonde hair still matching that of their mother's before she died. Cornelia was thirty-six now and living on her own, always being checked up on in the mornings to ensure she was taking all eight of her medications. She was happy, but her schizophrenia stages were something Shepard would never forget. They always scared him.

One day, he and Tali were watching a movie in their home when a scene where the protagonist lost his best friend due to a random explosion that happened when a terrorist walked into the airport.

Shepard just about lost it—thinking of how he killed Ashley.

It took Tali around thirty minutes to calm him down. It wasn't a good first-night-after-proposal. He cried and shook his head, digging his fingers into his scalp the whole time.

When he finally managed to find himself, he sat back down on the couch. "I'm okay…I'm okay."

The occasional speeder-flying-overhead seemed to scare him, or a surprise of any kind startled him. Those along with things like avoiding news networks regarding the war were symptoms in his early stages.

He took medications too, but not daily like his sister. Some days, after a night of awful dreams, he'd take anxiety medication along with the pills for depression. On occasion, he'd be stubborn and ensure he was fine. But, in all reality, he wasn't and Tali would end up forcing the tablets down his throat.

To most people, he seemed completely normal. Shepard hid the fact that his mind was constantly battling with his emotions and memories. The only people who knew were his close friends, wife, and doctor.

Only once had an outburst occurred in front of his daughter. She was only eleven months old at the time, but Rana's bright little mind didn't observe her father with confusion. She would waddle over and sit in front of him. It was as if she somewhat knew something was wrong. She was curious, of course. Something about that had completely calmed her father down. Shepard stopped pacing and clawing at his head, looking down at the little girl by his feet. Her tiny mouth hung open and those white eyes watched him. She patted the floor.

Even that caught Tali's attention. The woman's eyebrows clung together, moving her hands off her husband's arm as both parents looked at their child with inquisitiveness.

Rana just patted the floor again, saying "Baba."

The commander rationalized "Baba" into account as more baby talk, but Tali seemed to be a little more aware of that fact that Rana had said it so directly.

Shepard crouched down, picking her up off the ground. He put a hand on the back of her head, holding his daughter close and whispering "I'm sorry if I scared you."

Rana pushed herself back and tapped her small hands on her father's cheeks. "Baba!" She announced happily, smiling her cute baby smile.

Shepard's eyebrows skyrocketed and he turned towards his wife, gawking. Tali's mouth gaped, too. Their daughter had tied her recognition of her father with a distinct word; "Baba" was Dad.

"I have to admit," Tali put a hand on her hip and grinned, "I'm jealous."

The commander chuckled, looking back at Rana who was watching her mother.

Rana had always managed to steer his moments away. After hearing her first "word", Shepard was more focused on improving her vocabulary and helping her tie objects with vocals. It was like another therapy for him. He still tried to stay away from things that could trigger another emotional outbreak. They were lessening as the years went by, but he still had them.

On one occasion when Garrus had come over once in a while to discuss matters of building a weapons system for a certain model of ships he and Shepard were designing, Rana had wiggled her way into their conversation. She would crawl up onto the couch and in her father's lap, sitting there for a few seconds before fiddling with Shepard's pants and then sliding off to go play with something else. She would come back within one minute and repeat the process again and again and again. At first, it was cute. Garrus thought it was hilarious all the time, but after the little girl had climbed up and down her father twenty times within that past half hour, the commander started getting a little annoyed.

"Rana, please," he frowned, pulling her back up into his lap. "Daddy's trying to work."

The girl simply looked up at him, then to her right and reached out for the pillow, sliding off Shepard's leg. The commander sighed through his nose, pursing his lips and watching her and she crawled to the other side and started pulling at the little pegs clinging to the fabric of the cushion.

"I think it's funny." Garrus's mandibles flared out in the form of a turian smirk.

"You think everything is funny." Shepard deadpanned.

Garrus shook his head, turning to look at the girl a few feet away. She had receded from pulling and already made her way down to the hardwood floors. She looked over her shoulder at her father and then at the turian before smiling and toddling away towards Garrus.

"Bupah!" Rana announced, knocking her tiny hands on the turian's kneecap. "Bzarp!"

Garrus chuckled, ruffling the girl's brown hair. "You are pretty cute."

"I take it we're not going to get anything done today…" Shepard grumbled, putting his tablet down and standing up.

Garrus watched him retreat, curiosity rubbing on his features. "Where are you going?"

"I need some coffee."

"How much sleep did you get last night?" The turian asked, his eyes following the commander as he stepped over to the espresso machine. It beeped once, then a second time.

"Like, three hours." He answered grumpily.

"What were you doing?"

Shepard froze for a second, looking left and right before picking up his mug and settling the rims to his lips. "Nothing", he replied shortly.

Garrus's mandibles flicked inwards; not convinced.

The commander rolled his eyes. He sipped from his cup.

Neither man regarded the child that had positioned herself on the side of the couch, fingers in her mouth as she watched her father.

"Is it something I would frown upon?" Garrus asked, standing up from the sofa.

Shepard shrugged. "Well…I don't think so."

"Give me a hint."

"No, why?" He shook his head.

"I'm curious."

"As always."

"Shepaaaaaard."

"Garruuuuuus."

"Dooboo!" Rana called out and ran, grinning widely. Shepard turned his head to her and started chuckling.

"How old is she again?" The turian asked.

Shepard bent down and picked his daughter up off the ground, positioning her so that she faced away from him; one arm under her bottom and the other wrapped around her torso. "Twelve months."

Garrus snickered softly.

It was times like those which he reflected on with content; his daughter trying to communicate and be active were milestones to begin with. She was walking, running, talking, and eating all by herself at this point. And he was so proud. She was growing up, his little girl.

Rana was also becoming a picky eater. Having two different genetic codes made her body compatible with both levo and dextro food compounds. She had a vast expense of meal options yet she was leaning more particularly towards levo-amino based dishes. Her body was more human than it was quarian due to the fact that Shepard's genes had distracted Tali's in a freak war inside the woman's bloodstream at the very beginning of Tali's pregnancy. Rana had developed, for four months, on human genetics more so than quarian.

In quarian females, gestation lasts twelve months. Because Rana was developing as more of a human than a quarian inside her mother, Tali's pregnancy continued for only nine months, protesting everyone's assumptions. During her early trimester, fetomaternal microchimerism arose whereby cells from the fetus passed through the "placenta" and established cell lineages within the mother. Tali's body, on instinct, developed macrophages in order to fight off the foreign gene. For reasons unknown, her body was failing to expel the new genetic material introduced into her bloodstream. Tali's "liver" began overproducing "white blood cells" (in quarians, the "liver" is the control center for the immune system) in an attempt to fight off the DNA, and in the process, haemolysis occurred in the "liver's" spur of manufacture. The overproduction of cells caused her "liver" to slowly start failing, resulting in a form of quarian jaundice. Tali's skin turned a light brown color and the woman dipped into fever-like state. Upon seeing the hue of her skin, Shepard, without bringing much thought to anything else, broke numerous driving laws getting his wife to the hospital. For several days, Tali was admitted inside the hospital in a coma for the duration of her stay. Only rarely was she woken from her forced sleep. The doctors tried seven different medications before they injected a sort of liquid into her IV line that halted the production of antibodies to fight off the foreign DNA. Such technology Shepard was never more grateful for.

The injection was always administered once a week. Every fifth day, Tali was to see her medical technician at exactly 0900 hours. Without the suppressant, Tali's body would have constantly ravaged war and the possibility of death always lingered. Had her newly improved immune system kept enforcing all of its power to expel the DNA, she would have not lasted long. Tali was resilient, though, and refused to let her body kill itself. She was determined to pull through. Nothing was going to stop her.

In result of the medication her mother was always harboring, Rana was born with a brown hue as the color of her blood. Her skin had a strange color to it: she looked tan from a human standpoint. Her mixed DNA showed its contents through her looks, too: she had the build of a human. Her organs and limbs had developed as human for almost half of Tali's pregnancy. Once the suppressant was administered, Tali's genetics began showing dominance over parts of Rana's body that had not yet developed, such as her facial features, vocal chords, eyes, etc., and Shepard's genes had little interaction at this point of development where sex-linked traits had the upper hand.

Hindering towards the voices of quarians, each and every one of them had a different accent whenever speaking a language other than Khelish. It was strange to other alien races as it was almost always picked up through the translator. No one could honestly explain it.

By the time Rana was able to form full sentences in English, Shepard had taken note that he was beginning to hear the birth of an accent, particularly sounding Swedish should he compared it to human tongues. It was cute. Tali's accent was always firmly a hybrid of Czech, Polish, and Russian, and he thought it was adorable whenever she talked. Generally, he spoke to her in Khelish due to the fact that Tali was finding it difficult to learn English. She was aware of the tongue, though had a hard time putting sentences and words together properly sometimes. "The grammar is ridiculous", she would say, frowning.

With Rana's first word came shortly her first sentence. She spoke in third person, regarding to herself as "Wana" because R was a challenging letter to master. At seventeen months, their daughter had learned to ask for attention or food when she was hungry. The girl even alerted her parents whenever she went potty in her diaper a couple months prior to her first ten lyrics.

"Dada," she would call, wandering over to her father. "Bubble!"

She loved bubbles, especially during bath time. If there were no bubbles in her bath when her feet touched the water, she would make this frowny face that her parents had found absolutely hilarious.

Most of the time, her words were baby talk, but verses she learned were always repeated without purpose. She could walk around the house shouting "_vehlai_*" all day.

Rana was constantly developing and her parents had the opportunity to witness every milestone, regardless of the situation. Rana was learning faster than a typical human toddler, and Tali took pride in her genetics. Quarians were always early in learning.

The child's mind was constantly distracted and stimulated, even by the silly cartoons she watches with her father in the morning. The commander managed to get his hands on some really old cartoons. Of course, they had been constantly remade for any new viewing systems, but the oldest one he had dated back to sixty years ago. Usually, these kinds of programs were rare and hard to find. The generation of kids today typically learned from datapad games or their own kin. Rana learned from her parents, yes, but her father tended to stick to more original ideas. Cartoons were still popular back on Earth. He watched them as a youngling, and he wanted his daughter to as well.

"What are you exposing our daughter to this time?" Tali quipped, approaching her two favorite people in the galaxy from behind the couch. She rested her arms on the top surface, leaning into the sofa's skeletal support.

"Bubble Boy and the Harpers. This one's my favorite."

His wife chuckled from behind and the little girl placed beside her father craned her neck back, looking straight up at her mother. "Mama! _Ru'tui_*!"

Tali smiled down at her daughter and chuckled. The girl returned her mother's gesture and then pulled at the older woman's black curls. "Hair!"

* * *

**Khelish word I made up:**

**_*Vehlai (veh-lie) – vegetable_**

**_*Ru'tui (roo-too-e) – television _**

**Thanks so much for reading guys! I'm surprised people are actually reading this and have stuck with it. It's a bit shocking, and very warming to the heart :) I wish I had more inspiration. I'm lacking so much lately. I've got so many topics to write from, but no urge to actually compose a story from it. **

**I love you all, though. I appreciate all the feedback and readers! Hearing everyone's opinion and seeing how many people clicked on the title is one of my favorite parts to posting a new story. **

**Till next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Indeed, I live. And I bet you guys are sick of all this waiting, huh? I'm sorry. I have ideas, I can never just write more than a couple hundreds words or so for them.**

**I figured it'd be okay if I posted shorts. Like skillets? Bits of script that never turn into a story?**

* * *

_Laundry Day_

"Rana!" Tali called, flipping the laundry basket upside down. Hers, Shepard's, and Rana's wash all scattered along the carpet. She sat down, beginning to organize the clothes.

"Yes?" Rana peeked her head out from around the corner.

Tali kept her focus arranged the mess on the floor. "Come and help me fold Daddy's underwear."

Rana frowned and stopped on the floor. "I don't wanna! Daddy's a boy and boys have cooties."

"Daddy doesn't have…cooties." The woman furrowed her eyebrows at the unfamiliar word. "So come help me."

"If I had cooties, your mother wouldn't have married me." Shepard chuckled from the adjacent room. He was cooking, explaining his absence in folding the laundry and the smell of sautéing meat. He wore that stupid apron Garrus bought him for his birthday last year.

_Kiss the Commander_, it said with hearts outside the lettering. Shepard thought it was hilarious. Tali thought it was ridiculous.

"You look like an oaf." She remarked, facing the laundry after peeking up at him.

"I do not."

"You know I hate that apron."

"But I love it."

"But it's pointless."

"But it's a human thing."

"Clearly."


	11. Chapter 11

_Losing to the Odds_

He could tell she was stone-faced behind the mask. Her usual positive energy vanished within the blink of an eye and he could feel it. Her grip on his hand lessened.

The asari woman on the other side of the plaza was trying her best to maintain six other asari (who were less than half her size) running around the Presidium. The children were squealing and chasing the butterflies looting the sky. The mother was clearly distressed. She was in no condition to chase the kids around being several stages into another pregnancy. She would groan, calling after the little girls and ordering them to return to her side. Some obeyed. Others did not.

Tali sighed lightly. "I'm hungry. Can we stop at Apollo's Café?"

He knew her too well. "Of course."

She let go of his hand, striding towards the small restaurant with a pace faster than the trek they had maintained before. Shepard followed after.

She was upset now. He had planned for this to be a somewhat relaxing "vacation" of a sort, though it had backfired.

For two years they'd been trying for a child of their own. Tali could never conceive. They tried and tried and tried, but everything failed. It was ultimately frustrating, more so for her. He was fine without children, but then again, he did want maybe one or two. His hopes were fading, though. Tali kept her expectations up. Somehow, she managed to still believe it was possible and he wasn't about to let her down regarding it.

What made her angriest was the fact that other women were having one baby after the other, even strippers. But her? Nothing. She'd seen teenagers, who aren't even remotely ready for parenthood, take up the responsibility by then. And it made her livid. She wished it could be easier. She wished her body would stop fighting and just sit back.


	12. Chapter 12

_Dancing_

Tali was improving with English. She could mostly communicate with her and understand what she had to say. Sometimes she'd stumble here and there and Cornelia would chuckle and put a hand on Tali's shoulder, reassuring the woman that it was fine.

She had a kind soul, that woman. She and Shepard looked so alike yet their personalities were polar opposites. For one thing, Cornelia loved to dance.

The blonde would reach for her daughter's hand, leaping in little circles and twirling across the hardwood flooring. Rana had no problem catching up; following along in her aunt's footsteps and saying words in English that Tali couldn't comprehend. Child's talk. Some words had no comparison to the Khelish language, yet her human relatives seemed to understand to dialect.

"Diddly", "zoom-zoom", and "doo-dah" followed by "swapsies" and "turn-turn". She would have to ask Shepard about them later.

Cornelia swooped Rana off the ground, pulling the two-year-old into her chest and spinning in a small circle as fast as possible. "Ooo-pah!" She shouted.

Another term to add to the list.

Later on, they played a game called soccer. Tali had absolutely no idea why it was given such a pointless name. The idea was that you had to kick a ball with your foot into a goal: whoever managed to would win. But why wouldn't the game be called "football" since it involved your foot and a ball?

She asked Shepard about it. He simply shrugged.

"The British do."

"_British?_" The word sounded funny on her tongue. It was new to her.

"It's a nationality on Earth. They have their own accent and everything."


	13. Chapter 13

_Good Morning_

"Will you help me make the bed?"

"Sure."

Tali threw the covers over the mattress, tucking in the lightweight sheets under the futon from her side. Shepard did the same, helping in throwing over more covers and pillows, adjusting them so that they sat perfectly and neatly. When she came over on his side to pick up the glasses (that used to be full with water) from his nightstand, he grabbed her by the waist before she could reach for anything and pulled her onto the bed.

"What are you—hey!"

He moved her to face him, holding his arm around her middle and forcing her to stay put. She shook her head, smiling back.

"What are you planning?" Tali asked, fiddling with the neckline of his pajama t-shirt.

"We never get to spend time alone anymore."

"Well, we are parents."

"Can't we call Shala or something? Have her babysit for a while?"

Tali laughed, reminiscing a few weeks prior. "Yeah, and we couldn't even have sex then because you were too drunk."

"I was not!"

"Were, too. You couldn't stand on your own two feet."

He grunted, and rather loudly, before sitting up and deciding to leave the room since his plan of sparking some sort of intimacy between them was obviously going nowhere. But, before he could depart, Tali grabbed him by the back of the shirt and pulled him down to her level.

"I'll call Shala tonight and see if she can take over."

"You better."

"I will, don't worry."

Shepard reeled down, pressing his lips onto Tali's with more a romantic desire than she had assumed. He was inviting, though, and easily made his way above her, grazing his hips over hers and pressing harder onto her mouth. Her grip went from his shirt to his arms, fingers kneading into the muscle and skin, pulling him closer.

There was definitely a reason he was getting so excited. Tali was becoming more frivolous and alluring, urging him to come nearer. His heart was already picking up the pace, pumping more and more blood throughout his body…and picked up a few million hormones.

She could sense it—the way his physique seemed to burn with heat and expectation whenever it came to anything intimate like this.

He had been through how many mind-blowing situations disregarding the war? One hundred? Two hundred and thirty? And the only thing that could ever make him shiver was the way Tali drew her fingers under his shirt. She always gave him goose bumps, especially right now.

A soft whimper resonated through his ears. He assumed it was his wife at first, but when her palms pressed hard up against his chest, he knew that wasn't the scenario.

"I got excited for a minute thinking I made you moan." Shepard smirked.

"I sound like a child?"

"That's not what I said."

"Mhmm, right. Now go get her." Tali pointed towards the door, one palm still fixated on his chest.

The commander shook his head, swopping down for one more kiss before heading off to go retrieve his daughter. Surely she hadn't tried to get out of her own crib yet.


	14. Chapter 14

_The Old and the New_

Zaeed was probably the lightest sleeper in the entire galaxy. Whenever it came to things like slumbering, they didn't meet his necessities as much as it did when he was younger. It had been scientifically proven that after your twenties, you need less and less siestas. By the time one was to be legally considered "elderly", you needed a total of five hours. Not a lot, but it wasn't like old people were going out and exercising—let alone saving the galaxy.

Now that he was retired and looming at sixty-five, it was time to settle down and enjoy the fresh air for once in his life. No business, no fighting…just pure green trees. It was almost annoying. Having nothing to do throughout the day would eventually get boring and the only thing he could occupy himself with doing would be watching TV or reading or other old people stuff. He didn't like being considered "old" either. To him, it was a sign of weakness or pity. Would doesn't pity the aging?

Zaeed wasn't old enough that his age would prevent him from traveling. He tried as much as possible to stay out of his lonely house, surfing the galaxy in one way or another. This time, he was spending a couple weeks with his old pal Shepard. The commander had apparently started a family of his own. That was the thing—Zaeed wasn't exactly a child-friendly person. He preferred to stay away from kids because most of them were bugs in his hair. Perhaps this one wouldn't be too bad. Hell, her parent's saved the universe. If she wasn't obedient, who would be?

Anyways, on the first night of his stay, he was woken by the sound of light breathing literally right in front of his face. His scrunched his features, opening an eye to reveal a small, one-and-a-half-year-old child watching him from the bedside. Her eyes nearly made him jump, seeing how those pure white orbs were just staring at him. Just her eyes; though her nose was sitting on the mattress. And those little eyebrows? Way up in the sky. The curiosity that sculpted the look on her face was a perfect image of her father's expression. She was all him on the inside.

"I can't even sleep without a go—" He zipped his lips shut. She tilted her head to the side.

"What are you doing here, kiddo?" Zaeed asked, taking his time to slowly sit up on the mattress and glance at the time. It was almost midnight.

Her eyes opened wider and she stood up, smiling. "Bwoom!"

"Rana?"

That was most definitely Tali. The accent—you couldn't miss it.

The toddler turned around, her fingers going right into her mouth as she looked towards the doorway.

Tali came in moments later, her black fuss of hair tied into a ruthless ponytail.

"Keelah, sorry about that, Zaeed. Did she wake you?" The quarian apologized, moving to pick up her daughter.

"It's nothing to worry about."

"Well, if you need anything, just let me know." She smiled.

The corners of his lips turned upwards. "You need sleep, and from the look of it, desperately."

Tali sighed, regarding down at her baby girl sitting conveniently on her hip, still chewing on her little fingers. "No kidding. This little bugger keeps me up all night."

Zaeed chuckled, standing up with a heave and grunt. His bones were aging, but he wasn't getting old. Just a few wears here and there; nothing that kept him from believing he was still in his twilight years.

Rana yanked Tali's hair, and the quarian squealed.

The toddler giggled, pulling harder and tangling her mother's curly black locks in-between her five fingers. Tali would never come to understand why pulling, pushing, tearing, ripping, yanking and everything else was so entertaining for children.

"That's hurts, Rana." She scolded, untangling her hair from her daughter's tight grip. "That's not nice." Tali quickly turned to Zaeed. "Anyways, I'm sorry for keeping you up."

"It's nothing. I can fall back asleep," he lounged back into the fluffy mattress, "as easily as I woke up."

Tali smiled, leaving her guest's quarters. She needed some shut-eye herself.


	15. Chapter 15

_Stupid!_

Year: 2190

Shepard cursed as he sat down roughly onto the bed. It had been two hours and he had yet to figure out how to manage creating a 3D image of the new ship designs he was composing with Joker. The two had buddied up with some other friends and started their own company worthy of building spaceships like the Normandy, though it was slow at first. Hundreds of people were willing to be hired under the command of their galaxy's savior. Shepard wasn't annoyed, but it let on quite a bit of pressure. Some mechanics had to be let down, and he wasn't used to letting anybody down. He offered them different jobs, but some still refused. It was frustrating sometimes.

Shepard's coarse sigh caught his wife's attention. Tali looked over her shoulder, seeing her husband focusing closely on his data pad. He was tapping at it crudely with an irritated demeanor. She shook her head, standing up and leaving her own personal data pad on the coffee table.

"Having trouble?" Tali asked, crossing her arms and leaning along the door frame of their shared bedroom.

He looked up and pursed his lips. He hated asking for help. Usually, he could do things on his own. Tali was a technical expert—she could easily figure out the problem, but he had his pride.

"Not at all."

"Let me see." She said, holding out her hand in front of him.

Shepard frowned. "I got it. It's just that this stupid app doesn't want to work with me."

Tali didn't budge. She raised her eyebrows.

He stuck out his lower lip, making a face. "Seriously."

Tali rolled her eyes and walked out of the room, deciding that his stubbornness really wasn't worth her time.

Shepard immediately turned back to the data pad and started clicking away.

It only took about five more minutes before he cursed again, growling "merde!" and dropping the device onto the bed before storming out of the room.


End file.
